Atlas ProFilax 1 year progress report.

Atlas ProFilax 1 year progress report. I heard someone say on the Today Show “Don’t HOG your journey”, so I will share my journey with you. One year ago I was sick like all of you, my crushing fatigue was worse than my pain. I had moving pain but also aches in my neck and shoulder and down my back. Depression couldn’t even be controlled by
300mg of Effexor and my anxiety well I was like a crazy lady. The fog was always with me, I would watch TV and nothing registered. My memory was lapsing, I would forget common words. I couldn’t hang on to a thought long enough to make a sentence. Sleep consisted of 30 minuets and then I would awaken, this went on all night. I had flu like symptoms, I just felt unwell. Tingling in feet and hands, the symptoms go on and on.

Two years ago I was treated by Dr. Whitcomb in S. Lake Tahoe, some people got well I improved but it was not lasting. His theory made since but the treatment was not always successful. Dr. Whitcomb’s Theory:

There is a delicate relationship between the opening where the spinal cord exit’s the skull (the skull foramen magnum) and the first neck vertebrae (the atlas). The spinal cord and its covering, the menengies, traverse gently through these structures with little room for error. In true fibro the first vertebrae is displaced in a fashion that causes a pulling on the menengies. This torques the menengies and affects many of the spinal nerve roots that are attached to it. This irritation of the nerve roots bombards the sufferer’s brain, overwhelming their autonomic and sensory pathways, keeping them fatigued, in pain, from sleeping at night and depressed.

I knew I was on the right track which was that fibro for me was a displaced C1. Chiropractors tried to keep my C1 in but were unsuccessful. Over a year ago I was introduced to the Atlas ProFilax treatment and went to see Ranan in Los Angeles. This treatment is not advertised as the treatment for Fibromyalgia because they don’t know what causes fibro or chronic fatigue he just asked me what my symptoms were and said this would help. Well I can tell you I am now around 90% improved and ever day I am feeling more and more normal. The progress was slow. One day I would feel better then the next day I would feel sick again. By month 10 most symptoms were gone except tightness in my shoulder and neck which massage have helped. I still had tiredness not the ugly fatigue but tired. I tried a detox diet for one week and it gave me flu symptoms and my lymph nodes were swollen. I knew there was more I needed to do to allow my body to recover. I came across the “Perrin Technique” a book by Dr. Perrin a Osteopath from the UK. Dr. Raymond Perrin’s Theory:

My hypotheses does not rule out the possibility of viruses being involved in the pathology of CFS/FMS. However, I believe that the condition is pre-viral rather than post-viral. I believe that the sympathetic nervous system’s dysfunction leads to an impairment of the body’s immune system. This in turn results in the entire body becoming susceptible to viral infections of more than one type. I believe in the very early stages of the disorder only a mechanical and postural-based examination can detect the development of this disorder before the sympathetic nervous system breaks down. The mechanical strain that a upper spine places upon the sympathetic nervous system is immense and over a period of time can directly lead to the patient developing FMS/CFS. Also the lymphatic drainage of the central nervous system is subject to disturbance in the spine, usually in the cervical or thoracic region, due to either a congenital, hereditary, or postural defect and or prior trauma. Toxic effects due to the long-term dysfunction of the central nervous system drainage will compound the chronic hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, this further overloads the hypothalamus and the sympathetic nervous system. Dysfunction of sympathetic control of the thoracic duct leads to a reflux of toxins in the resultant retrograde lymph flow, causing varicose lymphatic vessels predominantly in the abdomen, neck and chest. This further reduces flow of cerebrospinal fluid into the lymphatic. Further impairment of toxic drainage of the central nervous system results in an even greater reduction of lymphatic drainage.

This didn’t totally make sense to me but I understood it to mean my lymph nodes were blocked. My mechanical problem was corrected but my lymphatic system was not functioning optimally. I researched how to get my lymphatic system to start working better. I use a hair brush and brush twice a day along my underarms, neck, chest, stomach and thighs. Sounds crazy but I have been doing this for 6 weeks and also I am now walking 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day. You can also use a exercise ball to bounce on. The lymphatic system has no pump to circulate so you have to get it moving. The tiredness has improved and I now have more energy. Last week cleaned out the garage, the following day went shopping for 5 hours with my daughter, no relapse.

I don’t know if this all makes sense or it will help everyone but I am very grateful for the progress I have made. I had been sick for over 6 years. I lost trust in doctors and alternative practitioners though I tried over 35 different treatments. When there are no answers you have to find your own. I was sick of faking it so I made a full time job of healing. I have a survivor personality and am pretty stubborn plus I never gave up hope. I knew the answer was out there - I just had to find it. Good luck to all of you on your journey to recovery. I would be happy to help anyone who is interested in these theories. It is so great to get back to living.

I was interested in reading your experience w/Atlas Profilax. I had to cancel an appointment w/a practitioner just two weeks ago because my work schedule changed, but I hope to catch up with him in the spring.

Joey, I had been somewhat tired for about 1 month and then I got a horrible flu with neck pain and never recovered. I tested very high for EBV but was not tested for any other virus. Went to a Rhematologist and he said I did not have fibromyalgia. Went to Dr. St. Amand with the guiafensen treatment and he marked all my lumps and said I had fibromyalgia. My diagnosis was either CFS or FMS depending on what doctor or practitioner I saw. Had numerous tests to rule out any other disease. When all my tests and medical records weighed 10 lbs. and they were all normal then I was diagnosed with FMS/CFS.

Hi Lena,great to hear your making great progress following your Atlasprofilax treatment.
I had the treament done here in Scotland 4 months ago but my progress has been only slight but I'm hopeful that I may make further improvents in the coming months.My main Fibro problems have been terrible head,neck & back pains,together with a terrible sleep pattern.My neck pain was latterly so bad that I could barely turn my neck from left to right without feeling a constant grating pain.However since the Atlas treatment my range of movement at my neck has really improved however I still have a lot of pain in my neck ,back & head & my sleep has not improved.
Maybe I should try a back/neck massage to see if that brings any further benefits.
I is really interesting to see you post that you feel you have problems with your lymphatic system as this is something which has affected me in the past few years.Namely I've had Hodgkins Disease(cancer of the lymphatic system) twice in the past 8 years(this showed itself by swollen lymph glands in my neck,chest & abdomen).Thankfully it has been treated successfully on both occasions but I'm just wondering about the relation between Fibro & the onset of Hodgkins,as the doctors are not really sure of the cause of Hodgkins Disease.
Thanks for posting the info on the Perrin Technique,thats something I'll look into,& great to hear you're doing so well.
best Wishes,Paul.

Hi Lena,
Thanks very much for posting your atlasprofilax experience. It was your posts and Wayne's posts that encouraged me to get my atlasprofilax done with Michael Hane in August. So far I have had only minor improvements but I just got my atlasprofilax follow-up done yesterday and a minor adjustment was made and am hoping for further improvements in the coming months.

Thanks so much for your progress report. It seems that as time goes by (after an AtlasProfilax session), there's always more and more improvement and more to report on. I really appreciated some of the excellent information about what's going on in the body when there's chronic compression on the nerve stem.

I recently discovered a website with a lot of great information on this whole area of upper cervical misalgnment. Atlas Profilax is not mentioned, but he does cover most if not all of the upper cervical techniques that are being used to correct atlas misalignment. It can be accessed at:

http://www.upcspine.com/intro.htm

I’ve recently become aware of what I feel is a whole new dimension. In short, it seems aligning my atlas has significantly improved my digestion. This in turn seems to have significantly improved my immune system, which in turn seems to have significantly lowered the pathogen levels in my body. All pretty big stuff.

Always good to see your posts. I think these upper cervical techniques have the potential to help a lot of people on this board.

I have "viral onset" ME of 28 years duration but I also have a retrolythisis of one of my cervical vertebrae (can't remember which one) which I always felt accounted for my neck pain and stiffness but which, until learning about this on the board, I never connected to my general health.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed because I think there is nothing to be done and other times I'm overwhelmed because I cannot choose between the possibilities.

The first article I read on this site was by Dr. Perrin. It sort of struck a chord with me. Perhaps that is because I was already helped so much by an osteopath for an injury, and was predisposed to trust someone in that field.

Just some thoughts: I've read that yoga also helps to regulate the lymph system. Some of the poses help to force the fluids into moving around.

I imgaine that many sporting activities might do that, some better than others, but for those of us who can't do those other things, it's good to know that gentle stretches or just moving our limbs around always helps, even if we don't consider it "exercise".

Perhaps bouncing up and down on the exercise ball would be as good as Dr. Cheney's NASA chair recommendation, who knows?

I also appreciate that you are mentioning other things that you are trying as well as the AP. I'm so glad that it has helped you. Perhaps some people have this to be more of an issue than others, and so will feel a greater effect.

I have often wondered if the reason guai helps so many is that it gets the various systems moving, since it seems to have a stimulating effect (at least for me, it did, and I think most people are advised to take it earlier in the day so it doesn't "jazz" them up before bed.)

So, I don't know if the "lumps" are necessarily phosphate alone, and no biopsies have yet to show that either, but perhaps is an accumulation of all sorts of things that have gotten backed up. I read something along those lines by Devin Starlanyl-- that wasn't my idea.

Dr. Perrin's notion of how the lymph system and the cerebral-spinal fluid relate is very interesting to me. I will have to compare it with what Dr. Shoemaker has to say on that issue.

At any rate, the only things that have ever seemed to help me are external bodywork methods. I feel like some sort of plan is coming together for me, because supplements are just not doing it.

Just to let you know, that long Hey is my way expressing I'm happy to see you here on this thread.

The word "fascinating" you use to describe some of the information in this thread is, in my humble opinion, quite apt.

I myself tend to stay away from using these kinds of adjectives. As somewhat of a proponent of Atlas Profilax, I'm choosing to try to give people good information that may resonate with them rather than trying to unduly elicit emotional reactions.

But it's not always easy to do, when I almost literally sometimes want to shout from the rooftops that I think a large number of members on this board could experience signficant benefits from this relatively simple procedure.

So I guess I'll just keep plugging away and continue to share what I feel is pertinent information. This will hopefully help others make an informed decision for themselves at the right time.

I want to let you know that I appreciate your being on this board, and also the playfulness and sense of humor you bring with you. I think there are many on this board who would concur with that.

Please post me anytime if I can possibly answer any questions you may have about Atlas Profilax. It's somewhat of a passion for me these days.

I have ME and my illness started as a result of a well documented combo of factors that includes the sort of trauma that atlas profilax aims to treat. There are overlaps with Raymond Perrin's work in the UK, that exgolfer has written about above, and Dr Rosner's work with chiari type 2.

Thanks for your note of encouragement. It surprises me sometimes that there isn't more response and interest in Atlas Profilax and other upper cervical techniques. Since I find this field to be so fascinating however, I plan to continue researching and reporting my findings.

I looked into Chiari Syndrome several years ago, but was stymied by our health care system that wouldn't allow me to send the necessary scan to be sent away to a specialist. Given how I've responded to AP, my thinking now is Chiari was not a significant factor for me.

I have heard of instances where some people with CFS and/or FM did have the necessary surgery for Chiari and did recover a great deal of their health. I truly believe various types of constriction in the upper cervical area can lead to many of the symptoms we on this board find ourselves dealing with.

Best, Wayne

P.S. I've done skin brushing (also called dry brush massage) for several years now. I find it almost indispensable to helping me get started in the mornings.
[This Message was Edited on 11/29/2007]

"Sometime in January Michael Hane will come to my hometown and treat family and friends, I want both my daughters to be treated, neither of them are sick. I am doing really well even my tiredness has improved. I have lots of energy and I am just so happy and peaceful. I feel many people with CFS/FMS could be helped by this treatment. In the last 6 1/2 years I have tried over 32 different treatments with no success until I had the Atlas Profilax. It has been over 1 year since treated and I now have no need to see doctors or search for a treatment I am back to living. I am so glad I didn't give up."

*** I thought I'd mention that I saw Michael in Yreka, CA on Dec. 1st and had a chance to visit with him for a few minutes. He mentioned that he's modified his Atlas Profilax technique somewhat.

Seems he is able to use somewhat less pressure than he has in the past. This has been possible because of his increased ability to feel/sense the Atlas "gently sliding back into place" during the palpating with the instrument. Thought this might be good news for your friends and family who will be seeing him in January.

Also, another testimonial to share. Alea (my partner) referred a co-worker to Michael. She had the treatment done just over a week ago in Yreka. Alea just asked her yesterday how she was doing. It was just a brief encounter before a meeting, but she seems to be utterly amazed how she is now able to turn her head. And the constant neck pain she had every night that made sleep horrible (her words) for her is apparently completely gone.

I continue to be amazed at how many people get such extraordinary results from this procedure. So, as I hear about them, I'll just keep on posting.

I've been reading a thread of yours about low dose Cortef. it has been very helpful to me. For some time, I had been on "Natural Cortisol" from a compounding pharmacy. It was given to me by Dr. Holtorf, founder of those FFC places. But it did practically nothing for me. Somehow, this didn't fully register until I read your posts. Recently, I went to a new doctor who started me on Cortef, and I think it will actually lift some of my extreme fatigue. I'm starting at a very low dose since it's making me feel nervous. I have a lot of trouble with breathlessness and panic attacks. Already, though, my mind is sharper and my energy level is improving. I plan to do a lot more reading on the subject.

Anyway, thank you again.

You replied to my first post on this message board with information about Atlas ProFilax. It just rings a bell with me, but I'm very leary of it. I live in Los Angeles, so it would be easy for me to get it done. Do you think all practitioners are pretty equally skilled? What would the worst case scenario be, do you think? Has anyone been injured from it? I've had so many treatment disasters in the past two years, I've become very cautious.

How long was it before you were able to see the full effect of Cortef?

*** The only one I've heard that people have had reservations about has been Ranan who works out of your area. I've heard such different reservations from several people, that I could not recommend him.

All the others seem to be very well liked, and I'm assuming, are quite competent. Since I worked with Michael Hane, I have no reservations whatsoever referring people to him.

I believe that he may be coming to your area sometime in January. Lena (exgolfer) apparently is having him come to her hometown to have him work on friends and relatives. I'm not sure where Lena lives; hopefully she's following this thread and can let us know when that might be.

RE: "I'm very leary of it"

*** I think the more people learn about the Atlas Profilax technique, the more comfortable they will become with the procedure. This is why I posted fairly extensively about it on another thread. I'm copying and pasting three paragraphs from that earlier thread that you might find helpful. I will say though that this strikes me as being much safer than most chiropractic I've experienced.

RE: "What would the worst case scenario be, do you think? Has anyone been injured from it?"

I'm not aware of anybody being injured by it. It can be somewhat painful for some, and some pain may even last for a couple days or so. It's actually hard for me to imagine an injury taking place, as just enough pressure is used until the Atlas "slides back into position" apparently somewhat at its own volition.

RE: "How long was it before you were able to see the full effect of Cortef?"

*** I pretty much was able to settle into a comfortable dosage and frequency within a couple of weeks. I've been doing this now for going on ten years with only occasional tweaking here and there. Cortef has been a godsend for me.

It seems to me that you are slowly and methodically (cautiously) putting together a very good program (plan?) for yourself. I think you could very well make some very significant strides for yourself with the Cortef, methylation protocol and the Atlas Profilax. Your thinking on a lot of this is very similar to mine.

Best, Wayne

..........................................................

Copied and pasted from an earlier thread:

This technique strikes me as very, very safe. The practitioner cradles the head during the time the pressure is being applied, so there is never any kind of whiplash motion of any kind. In fact, it's so gentle and subtle, it's almost (initially) hard to notice that anything has happened.

"As another poster mentioned recently in What Worked for Me, "I thought I wouldn't be able to 'take' it given the sensitivity of my C1 joint (the Atlas), but it was so gentle it was, well, underwhelming. Didn't think anything even happened."

A good friend of mine who has a serious carotid artery problem was told emphatically to never have her neck adjusted. She decided to come over and observe the procedure being done so she could determine whether she should consider it or not. Upon seeing how simple and safe it was, (no manipulating or cracking, etc.), she was very comfortable in deciding to have it done. She's been very pleased with the results.
[This Message was Edited on 12/12/2007]